


The Mermaid

by LeelaSmall



Category: The Amazing World of Gumball
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, F/M, Mermaids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 08:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21240803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeelaSmall/pseuds/LeelaSmall
Summary: Darwin feels lonely. None of the girls he liked like him anymore, and he fears that he will never be loved again. But what happens when a simple wrong turn in the park changes his life forever? [Original publish date: April 11, 2014]





	1. Prologue

He ran and ran as fast as his young skinny legs could manage, trying to stay as far away from his assailant as possible. Sounds of heavy breathing and grass crushing beneath their feet echoed through the open space with every step they took. He looked over his shoulder a few times to see if he was still on his tail, his fears being confirmed much to his dismay.

He sank his heels into the ground in a halt as he reached the green iron gates, which were locked up tight for the night. His heart sunk as he looked around and didn't see any other way to escape; it was a dead end. Turning around he saw his attacker approaching him slowly and menacingly. Covering his eyes, young Darwin Watterson let out a terrified scream as he was about to meet his doom.

And then everything froze.

_Yup, that's me. Creepy, uh?_

_I know what you're thinking: 'what did Gumball get him into this time?' Well, I'm sad to inform that I got into this myself. I made some pretty bad decisions… But then again, love makes you do some pretty crazy stuff._

_Confused? Well, to tell you the story about how I ended up in this jam, we need to go back a few days, more specifically to last Sunday…_


	2. Sunday

"Oh, come on! Why is this so hard?"

Darwin awoke from his afternoon nap when he heard whimpering not far away from him. Slowly opening his eyes and allowing them to adjust to the dim light of the room, he looked around and saw his brother Gumball leaned over his desk. He seemed to be writing.

Squeezing out of his fishbowl, the young fish walked up to his feline companion, visibly curious about what he was doing. He saw him in a nervous state, biting his lip and tapping his pen on a blank page of lined paper. He also saw several balls of crumbled paper around him. Whatever he was doing, he was having a hard time at it.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, making Gumball jump in his chair.

"Darwin, don't sneak up on me like that!" Gumball exclaimed, grasping his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, I just wanted to see what you were doing."

"Well, if you must know…" he grabbed some written papers on his desk and arranged them, turning his chair around to face his brother. "…I'm writing poetry."

The thought of his brother writing poetry struck Darwin as extremely humorous, having to muffle a laugh by covering his mouth with his fins. Gumball just glared at him, an outraged expression on his face.

"What's so funny?" he asked, visibly upset.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" he managed to say between his muffled chuckles. "…I never pictured YOU writing poetry."

"Well, I am. I want to give Penny a card for her birthday, and I figured if I write a poem inside she'll like it even more."

"OK, OK…" he calmed down, taking a deep breath. "So what've you got so far?"

Gumball crossed his legs and stood up straight, making himself look important, cleared his throat and brought his papers to his eye level.

"'Penny, oh Penny. You are one like not many.'" He recited with a smile across his face, gesticulating with every verse. "'You are the sun after the moon is gone. You are a karate chop made after the gong. You are the high score on a videogame, a picture in a brand new frame. It's your beauty that betrays you, your smile gives you away. 'Cause you're made of strength and mercy, and my soul is yours to save.'"

He finished with a sigh and looked down at his little brother expectantly, who was looking at him with a quizzical look on his face.

"So, what do you think?" he asked with a wide grin. Darwin patted his chin, trying to find words to describe what he had just heard.

"Well…"

At first he thought about just pretending that he had liked his brother's poem, but his conscience wouldn't allow it, and he knew he deserved to know the truth. Sighing in defeat, he looked at Gumball with a serious look on his face.

"I gotta be honest with you: that was terrible. All you did was compare her to random everyday things, and I'm pretty sure the last verses are song lyrics. Sorry." He folded his fins behind his back, looking down to avoid eye contact with Gumball.

The blue cat's grin had dropped into a frown with the disappointment caused by Darwin's words. He looked angrily at him, wanting to yell at him and call him the worst names he could think of, but instead just turned around in his chair and continued writing.

"Well, what do you know?" he commented, holding back his fury. "It's not like you have a girlfriend to write poetry to."

That comment hit Darwin hard in his feelings. He was right, he didn't have a girlfriend. He hadn't had one in a long time. Heck, he had almost forgotten what it was like to have someone to care about in a deep emotional level.

Feeling now sad and hurt, he sighed and turned to leave the room.

"You're right, I don't…" he whispered right before exiting his and Gumball's bedroom, leaving the feline with his poetry.

"Hmmm… What rhymes with 'orange'?" Gumball thought out loud, long after his brother was gone.

* * *

Darwin sat motionless on the living room couch, absent-mindedly watching a rerun of 'La Casa de las Lágrimas' as he battled with his bottled-up feelings, staring at the screen as he watched the lead female character cry in front of who he assumed was her husband.

"Pedro, ¿cómo pudiste hacerme esto a mí?!" ("Pedro, how could you do this to me?!") she shouted between her sobs.

"Consuela, por favor, perdóname! No significaba nada, lo juro!" ("Consuela, please forgive me! It meant nothing, I swear!") he said, grabbing her by her arms and trying to calm her down.

"Después de todo lo que hice por ti ... No quiero volver a verte de nuevo!" ("After everything I did for you... I never want to see you again!") she spat on his face, releasing herself from his grasp.

"Don't waste your tears, Consuela." Darwin said to the TV, sadness apparent in his voice. "He's not worth it."

"Something bothering you, Darwin?"

He turned to his left to see his little sister Anais just standing there beside him, holding a sandwich on a plate with a sympathetic look on her face. He turned away from her and sighed.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't understand." He said, turning the TV off. Anais took a seat next to him on the couch.

"Try me." She told him, taking a bite out of her sandwich as Darwin turned his attention to her once again.

"It's kind of complicated…" he started, trying to sum up what he was going through in just a few words. "You see… I'm happy that Gumball is getting along with Penny so well, but… I don't know, I guess I just wished I had someone to love who loves me back as well, you know?"

"So, you're lovesick."

"I guess you could say that…" he sighed again, sinking in his seat. "None of the girls I've liked like me anymore. Rachel's in High School and she completely lost interest in me. Carrie didn't like it when I kissed her on Halloween, Masami hates me for some reason… and I'm not even gonna mention what happened with GumballOopsEggWobbleUnderpants."

"Yeah, don't remind me." Anais muttered under her breath. She placed a hand on her depressed brother's shoulder. "Look Darwin, you're a really sweet guy. Any girl would be lucky to have you! And I know you'll find the right one sooner or later."

"You really think so?" Darwin asked with a faint smile, to which Anais nodded. He wrapped his fins around her and held her in a hug. "Thanks, Anais."

"My pleasure." She replied as she hugged him back.

"Oh, there you are!"

The two hugging siblings looked up behind them to the top of the stair case to see Gumball looking down at them with a frown. They quickly separated themselves from each other as he came down the stairs, his fists balled up as if he was about to throw a punch to the nearest living being.

"I've got something to say to you!" Gumball threatened, pointing a finger at Darwin.

"I'll leave you two alone." Declared Anais, hopping off of the couch and heading towards the kitchen. Gumball took her seat and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Look, I didn't like what you said about my poem, but I'm an artist now, and artists need to learn how to take criticism. So I forgive you." He finished with a smile.

Darwin's eyes widened. He forgives him? He FORGIVES HIM?! He had done nothing other than to point out the obvious! How self-centered could he get? But then again, this was no surprise. His brother could come out as nice and somewhat compassionate towards the ones around him, but on the inside he could be one of the most arrogant person he had ever met.

He was about to tell him off for that, but restrained himself and just scowled as he crossed his fins.

"Sure, whatever." He grumbled, looking away from him.

"What's up with you?" Gumball asked, raising a brow at his brother as he noticed his rotten mood.

"Nothing."

"Awww… is Mister Grumpy Gills upset?" he teased him, poking his puffy cheek. "Don't worry, buddy. I know just what will cheer you up!"

Moments later they were at the park. Gumball was getting ready to throw a Frisbee at Darwin, who was standing a few feet away from him, still with a frown and his fins crossed.

"OK buddy, you ready?" he asked his brother, getting no reply from him. "Catch!"

He threw the disc with all his might, which hit Darwin right on the forehead. He didn't move; he didn't even flinch. He just remained motionless and grouchy, only blinking at the moment of impact.

"Aw come on, man! What's wrong with you?" Gumball asked as he approached his aquatic buddy. "You love throwing Frisbees!"

"No, YOU love throwing Frisbees!" he finally spoke up, pointing at him. "This is what happens every time! You say you're going to cheer me up, but instead of doing something I like, we always end up doing something YOU like!"

"Well excuse me, but it's not my fault all the things you like are BORING!" Gumball shouted back at his brother.

Darwin felt his blood boil inside him as his anger grew. He wanted to slap some sense into Gumball, but turned his back to him and started walking in the opposite direction before he did something he would regret later.

"You can just go home without me. I'm walking alone!" he stomped off, feeling his forehead muscles tighten.

"Fine! Be that way!" Gumball shouted again, turning away and crossing his arms.

Suddenly he noticed that everybody was heading towards the park's exit. Pulling up his sleeve and looking down at his wristwatch, he saw that the park was going to close in ten minutes.

"Hey, Dar – " Gumball turned to warn Darwin that the park was closing, but he was gone.

* * *

Darwin was walking on a side of the park he didn't know existed. He figured he must've taken a wrong turn, because he didn't see anything familiar. The sun was setting, and the almost absent light made it look like one of the creepiest places on the planet, intimidating shadows dancing around him and the occasional owl making itself be heard. Anger turned into fear as the young fish looked around, trying to find his way out.

"Gee, I-I've never been to this side of the park before…" he trembled, shivers running up his spine. "M-maybe I shou – "

His monologue was interrupted when his foot accidentally got caught in something big and hard, making him fall onto the grass face-first. Rolling over and sitting, the fish rubbed his now sore face as he looked at what had made him trip, and due to the dim light of sun, all he could make out was a silhouette of what seemed to be an overgrown tail fin. At first he thought he was just witnessing an optical illusion, but was immediately convinced otherwise when it suddenly started moving.

Darwin let out a frightened shriek and quickly got on his knees to make a run for it in the opposite direction.

"Help…me…"

He froze as he heard that plead, and turned around to see it had come from whatever that thing was. The voice was raspy and the creature seemed to be breathless, but he easily recognized it as being female. Taking a look at the barely visible tail fin, he realized that the aquatic creature was dying due to being out of water. He also realized that they were close to a pond, so it must have somehow gotten out and couldn't get back in.

Springing into action, he placed himself in on the side of the creature and started pushing it towards the pond, making it roll in front of him. He had to struggle and make a big effort to lead the creature where he wanted; it was heavier than he had thought.

Finally reaching the edge of the pond, he gave it one final push and it fell into the water with a loud splash. Sighing and wiping sweat from his forehead, he looked down at the water and wondered what he had just saved, and had just turned around to leave when he heard another splash. Turning back towards the water, his eyes widened in amazement of what was before him.

Due to the fact that the sunlight was now completely gone, all he could see was another silhouette. He couldn't tell what it was, but this one was looking right at him, and he knew this because he could see its eyes. It's big, hypnotizing emerald eyes. Those were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

Darwin didn't want to leave. He just wanted to stay there and watch those mesmerizing eyes as they stared right back at him, almost feeling like they were luring him towards them. But his trance was interrupted by the sound of panting approaching him.

"There… there you are!" Gumball exclaimed, grabbing his brother's fin and stopping for a minute to catch his breath. "Come on, the park is closing."

He pulled him by his fin, dragging him towards the park's exit. Darwin looked back at the pond, but the creature was gone. He couldn't get those eyes out of his mind. They seemed… out of the ordinary, as if they were special in some way. And the moment the two had their gazes locked with each other he had felt something different. Something mind-numbingly intense in a deep emotional level. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He had felt love.


	3. Monday

Darwin was catatonic. He had been like that since he had gotten home, and he wasn't any better the day after. He remained silent and irresponsive to all that was going on around him, with a emotionless and unrecognizable expression on his face, as if he was so deep in his thoughts that it was impossible to snap him back to reality.

Being the one who spent more time with him, Gumball was the one who noticed that his happy little brother wasn't himself. He had seen him like that when they had returned from the park, but thought he just needed to sleep it off. He was wrong. And he was now starting to worry. It wasn't like him to behave like that at all.

That morning in class, as Miss Simian was rambling about the country's founding fathers, Darwin was noticeably not paying any attention, which made Gumball even more worried, for he knew he always tried to get as much as he could of his classes.

"Darwin, buddy?" Gumball asked in a low tone, getting no response from the fish. "If you're still mad at me because of what happened yesterday, I'm really sorry."

"It's OK, I'm not mad at you…" he replied without making eye contact.

"Then what's wrong? You haven't been yourself since yesterday!"

Darwin finally met his brother's gaze, seeing how genuinely concerned he was; it almost broke his heart. Sighing he turned completely to face him.

"You see… I –"

"Gumball, Darwin, pay attention!" Miss Simian shouted from the board, making the two youngsters quickly turn to her. "This will be on the test, and I will not have you fail!" she threatened before turning back to the board and resuming to write on it. "Now, as I was saying…"

"Excuse me, Lucy." Principal Brown interrupted her, knocking on the doorframe and entering. Miss Simian's usual crankiness instantly turned into happiness as she saw her hairy boyfriend.

"Why Nigel, what a nice surprise! Have you come to observe me at work?"

"As much as I would love to do that, I'm afraid I'm strictly here in business. You see…" he pulled her closer and lowered his voice into a murmur, to which Miss Simian's smile immediately died.

"What? Another one?" she asked, visibly annoyed. "Fine…" she looked around the classroom. "Where is he?"

"'She'." Principal Brown corrected her, handing her a file. "Rocky's bringing her in right now, but it's proving to be harder than we thought."

"Sure…" she opened the file and read it in a millisecond, turning back to the class right away. "Listen up, class! We have a new student with us today. Up to this moment she had been homeschooled, so try not to give her a hard time. Please welcome Crystal Tsunamington."

Miss Simian gestured towards the classroom's open door just as Rocky came in, straining to pull in a giant fishbowl on a little red wagon. The bowl was filled with water and rainbow-colored pebbles covered the bottom, giving it the impression of being just another ordinary fishbowl. In the middle lied a single rock, and on it sat a creature that immediately captured the attention of the male students in the room: a mermaid.

She seemed to be the same age as all the other kids in the classroom, and she had long and voluminous wavy chocolate-brown hair which undulated in the water with her every move. Her skin had an almost pale milky-white tone, and her tail fin was dark-blue with a transparent fin in the end. She wore what seemed to be a white cloth around her torso, beginning a few inches under her color bone and ending right under her ribcage. In other words, it was solely covering what needed to be concealed.

She had a kind smile which could melt away anyone's heart, and just that was happening with all the male preteens in the room that were staring at her, almost drooling as they eyed her from head to, uh, fin. All except for Darwin, who was staring at the floor, still thinking about the events of the previous day.

"Whoa, check out the new cutie!" Tobias remarked, raising his voice a little louder than he should.

"She's lucky I already have a girlfriend, or else I'd be all over her like that!" Clayton lied, snapping his fingers as he said the word 'that'.

"She's pretty, I guess. But she's no Penny." Gumball commented, looking over to his left at his soon-to-be girlfriend.

Darwin's curiosity finally won him over, and he just had to see what all the fuss was about. Lifting his gaze to his new classmate, he noticed something that left him completely petrified: her eyes. Those weren't just any eyes; those were big emerald-green eyes that shimmered under the electric ceiling light. More importantly, those were the eyes he had seen yesterday at the park!

"It's her!" Darwin whispered to himself, unknowingly heard by his brother.

"'Her'?" Gumball inquired, raising a brow. Darwin turned to him and cupped his fin over his right cheek so no one else could hear him.

"Yesterday, at the park, I saved an aquatic creature by pushing it back into the pond. It was dark and only saw its eyes; HER eyes!" He pointed at Crystal, who was looking around at her news classmates. "She was the one I saved!"

"Wow, really? Then go talk to her!"

Darwin looked at Crystal, basking now at the beauty he hadn't noticed before. Crystal's bowl was now surrounded by almost every guy in the room, making withy remarks at her. A big lump formed in his throat and his nerves took the best of him, making him want to leave.

"I… I can't." he stuttered, descending from his chair and heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Gumball asked, ready to follow him.

"To the bathroom. I need to wash my face."

He dragged his feet as he walked across the room, passing his classmates gathered around Crystal in time to hear Leslie make comment about her hair, and lifted his fin to reach for the doorknob.

"Wait!"

Darwin froze. The voice he heard wasn't familiar to him. It was soft and melodious, as if that person's vocal chords had been made just to sing. It didn't seem to belong to anyone he knew, so it must've been… her.

Slowly turning around he saw her: she was sticking her head out her bowl as she held onto the edge, her abundant hair now practically glued to her back with its wetness. She was smiling at him, which somehow just made the young fish even more nervous.

"A-are you talking to me?" he asked, almost shivering.

"Yes. I never got the chance to thank you for saving me yesterday." She declared, making all the other boys look at Darwin wide-eyed.

"Oh, t-that… I-it was nothing, really…" he giggled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, but it was! You saved my life! I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you."

Darwin blushed deeply, in doubt if it was because she was so thankful about what he had done or because his classmates were now staring at him with their jaws on the floor. Looking back up at her, he saw her giving him one of the most tender smiles he had ever seen in his life, and it made him feel good. He smiled back at her and their gazes locked for the second time, making his heart race and butterflies flap around in his stomach.

He was in bliss.

* * *

When class ended Gumball and Darwin gave Crystal a grand tour of the school, with Gumball dragging her as best as he could. Lucky for them it was lunchtime, so they were able to show her the school grounds and grab lunch right before their next class.

As they sat down their lunch trays at the table where they had left Crystal before heading to the lunch line, they noticed her opening a teal lunchbox with white seashells on it.

"So what do mermaids eat, exactly?" Gumball inquired as he sat down beside her.

"We've developed our own gastronomy." She replied as she poked her head out of the water, taking a tinfoil-covered sandwich out of her lunchbox. "Plankton burgers, coral hotdogs, sea urchin pudding, you name it!"

"That sounds gruesome." Gumball commented with a disgusted look on his face.

"I think it sounds pretty good!" Darwin said with a smile. "What'cha got there?"

"Algae sandwich. Want some?"

"No thanks." Gumball quickly refused.

After lunch they headed to their next class, Gumball again with the painful job of dragging Crystal to their destination. After 'parking' her right beside the door and cracking his back, a thought occurred to him.

"So… do you guys have, like… super powers?" he asked after he regained his breath.

"Gumball, come on. That's ridiculous!" Darwin scolded his ignorant brother.

"Actually…" Crystal trailed off, making the answer obvious.

"You do?" Darwin asked, incredulous.

"You do?" Gumball asked, excited.

"It's not exactly a 'super power', per say…" she justified herself, making air quotes around the word 'super power'. "…but my mom says that once I hit puberty my voice will change and I'll be able to control people's minds with my singing."

"Cool!" Gumball commented.

"Yeah, and my brother will be able to create tidal waves. We're not called the Tsunamingtons for nothing!"

"I think your voice sounds pretty good as it is." Darwin declared, making Crystal's smile widen.

"I really appreciate that, but look what happens when I try to sing."

She proceeded to let a blood-curdling screech that would be most fitted for a banshee, which broke all things made of glass around them, miraculously leaving her bowl intact. She cleared her throat as she finished.

"There. See?"

"What was that?! I can't hear you!" Gumball shouted, his brother and him now temporarily deaf due to the high frequency shriek.

"WHAT?!" Darwin shouted in his state of deafness.

When the school day ended, the two brothers accompanied their new mermaid friend to the bottom of the stairs by the school's entrance, where she would wait to be picked up.

"Are you sure you don't want us to walk you home?" Darwin asked Crystal, placing a fin on her bowl's glass surface.

"I'm sure. My dad has teleportation powers, so he must be transferring me home any minute now." She assured him.

"Really?"

"How do you think I get out of the pond and into this thing?" she gestured around her to prove her point. "I can't just jump into it!"

"Good point." He heard the school bus honk behind him. "I should go. Don't want the bus to leave without me."

He turned around to leave, but was stopped when he felt someone or something hold him back by his fin.

"Wait, just a minute!" he turned back to see Crystal grasping his fin. She seemed to be somewhat nervous, blushing and biting her lip as if she was choosing her words carefully. "I'm really thankful for what you did… I… owe my life to you."

He looked at her hand on his fin, blushing deeply. Her touch was soft, even if she was almost squeezing him, and her warmth seemed to make him feel more comfortable than he had thought. Gulping down his nerves, he looked up and smiled back at her.

"N-no problem." Was all he was able to muster up in that moment. "S-see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. Bye!" she released him and waved good-bye. Darwin did the same.

He entered the bus and took a seat next to Gumball. Looking out the window, he could see her still sitting there, and waved at her again. She waved back just as the bus started to move. As soon as she was out of his gaze, Darwin sank in his seat and let out a contented sigh, the goofiest of grins spread across his face.

"I know that look." Gumball chuckled, dragging him out of his thoughts.

"What look?" Darwin asked, trying to disguise his feelings.

"It's the same look I make whenever I think about Penny." he moved in closer to be only inches away from his face. "You like her."

"W-what? I-I… y-you…" he stuttered, his face beet red, trying to find a good enough excuse. His brother raised a brow at him, and Darwin knew he couldn't fool him, so he just decided to go with it. "Yes, I do."

"I knew it." he leaned back in his seat, making himself comfortable. "So, are you gonna ask her out?"

"I don't know yet…"

"Well, you better do it soon. You saw the way Tobias and the others were gawking at her. If you wait too long, you might miss your chance."

"But I don't even know if she likes me!"

"Trust me, she does. I saw the way she was looking at you. She's totally into you. Plus you saved her life, man! Any girl would be crazy not to like you after that!"

"I guess… You really think I should ask her out?"

"Definitely."

"Then so be it." Darwin stood on his seat and looked up at the bus' ceiling whilst lifting up one of his fins balled up into a fist. "Tomorrow, I, Darwin Raglan Caspian Ahab Poseidon Nicodemius Watterson III, will ask out Crystal Tsunamington!"


	4. Tuesday

The following morning couldn't come soon enough, and to Darwin it really didn't. Yet when it did, he was exhausted. He had stood up late practicing how he would approach Crystal and ask her to go on a date, which he had decided to do by offering to buy her lunch, and by the time he actually went to bed he was so nervous about the events of the next day that he wasn't able to fall asleep. His brain was working at full throttle and his mind was swarming with pessimistic scenarios. What if he she rejected him? What if she would laugh in his face? What if she didn't like him at all?

The young fish was so tuckered out in the morning he nearly fell asleep in his locker when he went there to get his books for his first class, if it wasn't for Gumball scaring him awake before his eyelids closed shut by slamming the door to his own locker, which was conveniently next to his brother's.

"What was that for?!" Darwin shouted, trying to recompose himself from the scare.

"Consider it payback. And now we're even." The blue cat declared as he leaned against his locker and crossed his arms. "So, are you gonna do it?"

"You mean ask Crystal out?" he asked as he fished for his books in his locker. "I already told you, I'm serious about doing it. I'm just waiting for the right time."

"Uh, you might wanna reconsider that option."

"Why?"

Looking at his brother, Darwin saw he looked somewhat concerned about something, and as the feline pointed towards the far end of the hallway, he froze in realization to what had alarmed him: there was Crystal in her bowl, and talking to her was Tobias. No, not talking to her, hitting on her!

He couldn't hear what he was saying, but judging by his mannerisms and his body language he was clearly trying to put the moves on her. Eyes widened and heart beat accelerating, Darwin started to hyperventilate as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Wha… what… what do I do?!" he asked in panic.

"Do it, man! Just do it before he does!" Gumball replied as he proceeded to push his brother down the hallway.

"So yeah, I work out twice a day. Gotta keep these babies fit, know what I mean?" Tobias bragged as he flexed his biceps for Crystal with a flirtatious look on his face.

"Not really." Crystal said monotonously, bored out of her mind. Her happiness returned has she saw Darwin approach her, pushed by his brother.

"Hey, Crystal. Darwin has something to ask you." Gumball declared, giving the nervous fish a soft pat on the back. Darwin was about to speak, but Tobias slid between him and the mermaid.

"Beat it, Goldie." He poked Darwin where his nose should be. "She's into me, not you. And let's face it; she is WAY out of your league."

Fed up with Tobias' obnoxious snooty attitude, Crystal looked around the hallway for something that would shut him up, when she noticed a janitor's bucket only inches away from her bowl. Emerging from her glass container, she did her best to stretch and tried to reach it.

"She's already fallen for my charms." Tobias continued to brag. "So I suggest you take your cheap smelly sneakers and hightail out of – "

Before he could finish his sentence, Tobias was showered with a large quantity of dirty soapy water. Looking up, the three youngsters saw Crystal holding the janitor's bucket upside-down over Tobias' head, a wide devious smile across her face.

"Oh my, how clumsy of me!" she said in a mocking tone, throwing the bucket away. "I didn't see you there!"

She and her two friends burst into laughter as Tobias grumpily stomped down the hallway, his rainbow hair soaking wet and dragging behind him on the floor.

"Oh man, that was priceless!" Gumball commented, wiping away a tear from his eye. "Good one, Crystal!"

"He definitely needed to be brought down a notch." Said Crystal as she crossed her arms and turned her attention to Darwin. "So what did you want to ask me, Darwin?"

"Oh! I-I…" he stuttered, his nerves returning even worse than before.

He was taken by how beautiful she was. He didn't know how, but she seemed even more good-looking than usual. But then again, since he had only met her yesterday, maybe he just hadn't paid close attention before. But now that he was staring at her, all he had rehearsed the night before escaping his brain and his face reddening intensely, he realized how absolutely breathtaking she was.

"I-I was just…" he decided to try to ask her again, thinking of an entirely new approach. "You wouldn't happen to… I mean… Can you… I-I mean I… Can I…"

"Come on man, spit it out!" Gumball exclaimed, slapping his brother on the back and hoping that would make him say what he had to say.

"Can I buy you lunch?" he said in one breath, quickly covering his mouth with his fins and blushing even more profusely.

"Darwin…are you trying to court me?" Crystal asked a bit taken back, but in a good way.

"Maybe…" he muttered almost inaudibly, looking down at the floor. Crystal blushed.

"You don't have to buy me lunch… but I'll gladly have it with you."

Darwin's eyes widened as he looked up at her and saw her smiling widely at him. She had just agreed to have lunch with him, and he could barely believe it.

"R-really?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I have lunch with the one who saved my life? Besides…" she stopped for a moment, blushing harder. "…I really like you."

Darwin's eyes widened even more and he had no idea what to say. If he hadn't expected to get a positive reply from his lunch invitation, he really wasn't expecting her to say that she liked him. Instead of talking he just stared at her in absolute shock, even when Gumball waved a hand in front of his face.

"Is he OK?" Crystal asked, starting to get worried.

"Yeah, he'll be fine in a minute." Gumball declared as he turned to her. "He'll meet you in the cafeteria at noon. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great! Tell him I can't wait."

"I will." He proceeded to turn Darwin in the opposite direction, who seemed to be petrified, and started pushing him away. "Seeya!"

"Bye!" she waved as he took his brother down the hallway.

He managed to push him all the way to the other end of the hallway, and when he saw Crystal was nowhere to be seen, he snapped his fingers in front of Darwin's face.

"Dude, snap out of it!" he snapped three more times before Darwin started to come to.

"Uh?" he looked around disoriented. "What happened?"

"You froze up when Crystal said she likes you."

"Oh yeah…" he sighed, gazing up dreamingly. Gumball rolled his eyes.

"I told her you'd meet her in the cafeteria at noon. Sounds good?"

"Great! Thanks!" he started to walk away, but suddenly stopped and faced his brother. "Oh, and before I forget…" he placed himself behind Gumball and slapped the back of his head.

"OW! What the heck, man?!" he exclaimed, rubbing his sore spot.

"Now we're even." Darwin said with a victorious smile, placing his fins on his hips.

* * *

Lunch time came around in no time, and all the students of Elmore Junior High were in the cafeteria enjoying their deep-fried trans fat-y meals. Darwin had insisted on buying Crystal lunch, despite her telling him otherwise, and now they were sitting together and enjoying each other's company as they ate.

"I've never had a real cheeseburger before." Crystal said as she munched on the burger Darwin had bought her. "I have to say, it's delicious!"

"Yeah, they make the best burgers. But stay away from the fish burgers." Darwin warned her before taking a bite out of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"They make fish burgers? Yuck!" Crystal was disgusted by the cruelty towards her own kind.

"I know, it's revolting."

They looked at each other and shared a smile, but were rudely interrupted by Leslie, who suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and sat down between the two.

"Well, hello there!" he greeted them as he sat his tray down on the table. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just saw you two lovebirds from across the room and just had to come see how you were doing!"

"Well, actually…" Darwin started. "…we were just – "

"Yes, fascinating." Leslie quickly interrupted him and turned to Crystal with a smile. "So Crystal, you have got to tell me who does your hair!"

"Uh, nobody, actually." she told him, slightly uncomfortable, as she ran her fingers through her immense locks. "This is natural."

"Oh shut up, that is just amazing!" he exclaimed in pure joy. "I would kill to have hair like yours! I can't seem to do a thing to my petals, and as much as I love them, I think I should…"

He continued to ramble on as the two aquatic beings stared at him boringly. Crystal looked over the flower's shoulder at Darwin, who seemed displeased with that whole situation, and shrugged, not knowing what to do about it. Darwin rubbed his chin for a second and then his face lit up as an idea occurred to him. He lifted his fin to signal Crystal to wait, to which she nodded, and descended from his seat to walk towards the other end of the cafeteria, where Tina was having lunch with Jamie and some other girls.

"Tina, may I have a word with you?" he asked the T-Rex, who raised a brow at him.

Back at the table, Crystal was bored out of her gourd as Leslie went on with what he thought he could do to improve his looks. Darwin returned not long after, a triumphant smile on his face. The mermaid wondered what he had done, when she heard loud stomping approach them. Looking up they saw that Tina was right behind them, staring down at the flower.

"Hello, Tina!" Leslie carelessly greeted the dinosaur. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Tina growled in her deep voice. "In fact, I was just in the mood to play 'He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not'."

"Wha – "

Tina picked him up before he could finish talking, elevating him to her muzzle, and as he squirmed and tried to free himself he grabbed one of his petals and yanked it off, making him scream in agony.

"He loves me… he loves me not…" Tina sang as she continued to pull out Leslie's petals, the flower now crying in pain as the closest things he had to hair rained down onto the cafeteria floor.

When the flower was completely bald, so to speak, Tina dropped him and walked away, leaving poor Leslie sobbing over the loss of his looks as he tried his best to gather all the petals that were scattered across the floor.

"My petals! My beautiful, beautiful petals!" he whined as he stared down at the ones he held in his arms. He let out a loud cry and ran out of the room in shame. Crystal, who had stared at the entire spectacle in awe, could not believe what had just happened, and had the urge to follow after him and try to comfort him.

"Poor guy. Is he going to be alright?" she asked as she turned to Darwin.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. His petals will grow back in no time." he assured her.

"Oh. OK."

They stood in silence for a while until Crystal started laughing. She didn't know exactly why, but somehow the scene she had just witnessed struck her as extremely humorous, and she just couldn't stop laughing. Darwin joined her, also not understanding why she was laughing, but in return found her laugh to be very contagious, and so the two just sat there laughing until they cried.

* * *

Crystal and Darwin spent the remainder of the day together, making what was going on between them official to all their other classmates. Darwin couldn't be happier now that he was with the girl of his dreams, and inwardly so was Crystal. Not only had he saved her from her demise, but he was kind, funny, and absolutely adorable. She couldn't have asked for a better companion.

As the school day ended and everyone left, Darwin accompanied Crystal to the spot where she would wait to be picked up.

"I had a really great time today." she told him, gazing lovingly into his eyes.

"Me too." he sighed, placing a fin on her bowl. "I hope we have another one as great as this one tomorrow."

"Me too."

She leaned down and gave him a peck on the cheek, the young fish's eyes widening and cheeks flushing bright red. She muffled a giggle as they both heard the school bus' engine start to roar, indicating that whoever wanted to get a ride home should enter it right away.

"That's your cue. I'll see you tomorrow." she spoke softly as she gently stroke his head with her hand.

"Yeah…" Darwin said with a goofy grin, staring into the distance as he hobbled towards the large yellow vehicle.

Watching him walk away and enter the bus, Crystal couldn't help letting out a satisfied sigh. Darwin was everything she had hoped for. When their gazes had locked that evening in the park she knew he had to be the one. There was no doubt about it. And now her dream was coming true. They were dating. She knew it was nothing serious yet, but she looked forward to when it did become serious. She felt she had a real connection with the brilliant gamboge fish, and she didn't want it to end.

He was the fish of her dreams.


	5. Wednesday

Crystal and Darwin were quite the pair. Even if it was only the second day they had been dating, they made every minute count, and the fact that they were in the same class only helped even more. If anyone from the outside saw them they could think the two were Siamese twins, for it was like nothing could tear them apart. The two were so happy in each other's company, it seemed they were radiating their joy, making it almost contagious. They were almost at Alan and Carmen's level of barely-sickening delight.

That day, while Darwin retrieved his books from his locker, Crystal was close to him as they happily chatted away. Eventually a thought occurred to Darwin, something that had been itching in his brain for a while.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you…" the young fish said, turning from his locker to face the object of his affections. "What happened the day I saved you? I mean, why were out of the pond?"

"I guess I should tell you." She replied, her tone darkening as she nervously played with her hair. "You see, a while ago some guys found out that mermaids are really valuable, and somehow they discovered where we live. So now they're always trying to capture us and sell us to the aquarium for a large amount of money."

"That's terrible!" Darwin exclaimed, utterly appalled from what he was hearing.

"Yeah, I know. But no matter how much they try, we always escape." She rested her head on the edge of her bowl. "That's why I was out of the pond. My family escaped, but I was the last one to break free from their clutches, so they ran off and left me there to die. As much as I tried I couldn't drag myself back into the water. I was weak from being out for too long."

"I feel so bad for you and your family! But even if they sold you to the aquarium, couldn't your dad just teleport everybody out of there?"

"Not likely. You see, from what I've heard, the tanks at the aquarium aren't made of regular glass, but of acrylic glass, and acrylic glass renders our powers useless."

"Like what butterfly nets do to fairies?"

"Exactly. I'm just glad they haven't figured that out yet, or else we would be in serious trouble."

He reached for her hand, holding it softly between his fins as he smiled warmly at her. He needn't say anymore. Crystal's smile returned and she looked down at her sweetheart with great gratitude. They were so absorbed into each other's gazes that they almost didn't notice Gumball approach and stopping next to them.

"Hey, guys." He greeted them as he opened the door to his locker.

"Hey!" they replied in unison.

As Gumball fished for his books for the next class, Carrie floated up to him, looking as emotionless as always.

"Hey, Gumball." She greeted the blue feline in her low monotonous tone. "Can I borrow your – "

"NO CARRIE, YOU CAN'T BORROW MY BODY TO GO ON AN EATING RAMPAGE!" he yelled at her at the top of his lungs. Carrie looked nonplused.

"I was going to ask you if I could borrow your class notes. I've been sick these last few days."

"Oh! Sorry!" Gumball quickly excused himself, scratching the back of his head. "Wait, ghosts can get sick?"

"Apparently, yes. I've been leaking ectoplasm all weekend."

"Gross."

As Gumball handed Carrie his notebook, Crystal and Darwin shared a laugh which caught the young emo ghost's attention.

"Who's that?" she asked, pointing towards Crystal.

"That's Crystal. She's new in our class."

"I guess I was away for too long." She noticed how much she and Darwin were laughing together. "She and Darwin seem to be getting along OK."

"Ohoh, they're more than just OK." Gumball chuckled.

"What do you…?" she took a minute to observe them, and then it hit her. "They're dating?"

"Eeyup."

She stared at them wide-eyed, not sure about how to react to that new information. She had rejected Darwin, but for some reason now she wished she hadn't.

"Jealous, much?" Gumball teased her with a devious grin, snapping her back into reality.

"What? I…" she stuttered with a blush and cleared her throat as she tried to recompose herself. "Thanks for the notes. I have to go, now."

She floated away with Gumball's notebook, taking a quick glance over her shoulder. She tried to shake away the strange feeling inside of her, huffing and increasing her speed. Meanwhile, Crystal and Darwin were still conversing happily.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Darwin asked, folding his fins behind his back.

"Of course!" Crystal replied with a smile.

"Well, I was wondering…" he blushed and kicked off some dust from the floor. "…would you like to come over to my house after school?" Crystal's smile widened.

"Darwin, you're my boyfriend! You don't need to feel so uncomfortable around me." She giggled, sending Darwin's heart aflutter when she said the word 'boyfriend'. "Of course I'll go to your house!"

"Wow, really?" he asked, excited.

"Sure, let me just run that by my parents."

Crystal then proceeded to close her eyes and press her fingertips against her temples, slowly massaging them in circles as her forehead wrinkled with what seemed to be some effort. After a few seconds she reopened her eyes, blinking once or twice to adjust them, and saw Darwin staring at her weirdly.

"Oh, I forgot to mention: we also have telepathic powers." She explained as she pointed at her head. "It's like mental texting."

"Cool!"

"I know!" she suddenly stood up straight. "Hold on, I'm getting an answer." She massaged her temples and closed her eyes again, opening them not a second later. "They said yes!"

"Yay! And good thing too, Mrs. Mom is picking us up today!"

"'Mrs. Mom'?" she inquired with a raised brow.

"I call my parents Mrs. Mom and Mr. Dad. They're not my real parents."

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"It's OK. They're really great! They're the best parents I could ever ask for!"

Crystal gave him a warm smile. She was amazed how well he dealt with being adopted, but she also felt happy for him. She knew it wasn't easy from what she had heard, so knowing that he was comfortable made her feel comfortable.

* * *

Nicole arrived about ten minutes after school ended and was able to fit Crystal's bowl into the car. The space wasn't much and they felt a little cramped all together in the backseat, but they all managed to fit in there.

"So, Crystal…" Nicole said as she looked at the kids through the rearview mirror. "…I heard you and Darwin are very good friends!"

"I think we're a bit more than just friends." She commented, glancing over at Darwin and making him giggle.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I'm glad to hear that. You seem like a very nice girl."

"Thank you, ma'am."

They arrived at the Watterson abode about fifteen minutes later, and with the same edge as she managed to fit it into the car, Nicole managed to pull the bowl out of the car and carried it inside, kicking the door open due to having her hands full.

"Hi, honey!" Richard greeted his wife, not taking his eyes from the videogame he was playing.

"That's Mr. Dad." Darwin declared, pointing at the pink rabbit. "He stays at home."

"Oh, so he's a stay-at-home dad?" Crystal asked.

"Not exactly." Anais replied, observing her dad. "Stay-at-home dads actually do things around the house."

Crystal giggled. She had met Anais earlier that morning and knew right away she was a bright one.

"Honey, I want you to meet someone!" Nicole called out as she placed the bowl down. Richard paused the game and turned to face his family and a mermaid he had never seen before. "This is Crystal, Darwin's girlfriend." the blue cat mother gestured towards their guest.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Watterson." Crystal brought a hand in his direction, which he shook.

"Aw, thanks! Aren't you sweet!" he told her, and then leaned down towards Darwin. "Nice going, kiddo! She's a real looker!" he whispered to the young fish, making him blush and grin in embarrassment.

"OK, why don't I show the boys' room, now?" Nicole said as she picked up Crystal's bowl again and took it upstairs, followed closely by her offspring.

Opening the door with her foot once again, she carefully carried the little mermaid inside and placed her down. Crystal looked around, noticing every detail, from the small fishbowl on the nightstand next to the bunk bed to the desk with the computer. It was awfully messy, but she figured that was just how a boy's room was supposed to be.

"I'll go make some snacks." Nicole declared as she grabbed the doorknob. "Gumball, why don't you come help me?"

"But I don't want to – " he was interrupted by his mother, who grabbed him by the shirt collar and brought him close to her face.

"Gumball… help me… make some snacks." she slowly told him through her gritted teeth, looking at Crystal and Darwin and then back at her son to make him understand. After a while he did.

"Ohhh, riiiight!" he said, winking at his mother. "Sure mom, I'll help you make some snacks!" she released him and they both walked out, Gumball looking over his shoulder at his two friends right before closing the door.

"Your room is really nice!" said Crystal as she eyed the four walls attentively.

"Yeah…" Darwin agreed, paying more attention to his loved one than to the room itself.

He had unknowingly started staring at her again, basking in how the water that surrounded her made her skin and her tail fin scales shimmer under the sunlight that entered through the window. He found himself wondering how he had been so lucky. He didn't have all that much to offer. He wasn't very good-looking, he had an average IQ, and he still didn't have any hair. So, what was it that girls saw in him? And what did Crystal see in him, besides the fact that he saved her life?

From the corner of her eye, Crystal noticed the fish looking at her and blushed, meeting his gaze with an uneasy smile.

"What?" she laughed nervously. Darwin almost jumped as he was taken by surprise, and tried to come up with a good enough excuse.

"Oh, I-I… I was just… looking at your bowl!" he stammered, placing a fin on the glass surface. "It seems kind of small for you."

"Actually, it's roomier that you'd think." she scotched over to one side. "Come on in and see for yourself!"

Darwin was a bit taken back by her request but complied, stretching up towards the rim and pulling himself up. He sat on the edge for a moment, observing the clear water beneath his feet, and jumped in. Looking around, he confirmed what she had said; it really was roomy.

"Uh. I guess you were ri – "

He suddenly felt her pulling him close in a tight embrace, her arms wrapped around him firmly as if she was afraid he would escape. He looked up at her blushing furiously, surprised by her action. He never would have seen this coming.

"I've wanted to do this since I first saw you that day…" she declared, her cheeks a bit flushed as well.

Darwin smiled at her sincerity and gently hugged her back. Closing his eyes, he felt the comfort of her skin, smooth and warm despite being underwater. Her cheek rested against his forehead, and she too was enjoying the sensation of his scales against her. For a moment nothing else in the world mattered to them, just lying there in each other's arms.

Nuzzling closer to his face, Crystal pushed her cheek against his, the corner of their mouths making contact unintentionally. Darwin noticed this and tried to move away, but Crystal stopped him by pulling him even closer and fully pressing her lips against his. The fish's eyes shot open as wide as saucers, blushing even more abundantly than before.

He couldn't believe it; Crystal was kissing him! Her lips were soft and juicy, and oh so pleasant. They tasted like nothing he had ever tasted before, like a mix of fresh water and roses. They were sending him over the edge, like he was about to lose his mind in the pleasure he was feeling. His vision was even becoming blurry with the sensation, as if he was about o reach nirvana.

He finally gave in to the bliss as his eyelids slowly dropped and he returned the kiss, much to Crystal's satisfaction. They remained like that for what seemed to have been hours, their heart rates rising by the second, and when they finally broke apart they took a moment to return to reality, their minds still dizzy with feelings. They looked into each other's eyes blissfully, not a word needing to be said, and hugged again, cuddling one another in pure happiness.

After what seemed to be the entire afternoon, Crystal compressed her eyelids as information reached her brain. Reopening her eyes, she looked at the clock on Gumball's nightstand: it had only been fifteen minutes since they had entered the room. Looking down she saw Darwin smiling widely as he embraced her torso. She smile at how adorable he looked, not wanting to leave his side. But she had to.

"Darwin?" she called him in a low tone, wondering if he had fallen asleep.

"Yeah?" he whispered in return.

"You need to get out now."

"Why?" he asked as his eyes shot open and he looked up at her disappointed.

"My dad just sent me a mental warning that he's going to teleport me home, so you need to get out."

"Oh."

He let go of her and she gave him a quick peck on the lips before he swam up to the surface and descended through the top of the bowl. When he reached the floor he turned around to face her one last time that day, placing his fins on the glass wall as she lifted her head out of the water.

"I guess I'll… see you tomorrow?" Darwin asked, his heart still beating fast.

"Of course. And I'll talk to my parents to see if you can come over to my place, tomorrow!" she giddily told him, making his smile widen.

Suddenly her bowl started to glow bright blue, the light steadily increasing by the second.

"Oh, here I go!" she said as she saw the glow. "I'll see you tomorrow! Oh, and Darwin?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

The bowl emitted an extremely bright white light for a millisecond, and when it disappeared she was gone. Darwin stared at the empty spot for a moment, her last words replaying in his mind. She loved him! She really loved him!

"Here's the sna – " Gumball burst in with a tray of appetizers for his two friends, but all he saw was Darwin dripping wet and staring at the middle of the room. "Hey, where'd she go?" Darwin turned to his brother with a blank expression.

"She had to go home…" he declared, almost in a whisper.

"Oh, I'm sorry, buddy." Gumball walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She told me… she loves me!" he declared with one of the widest smiles he his brother had ever seen.

"Wow, really? That's awesome pal! Congratulations!"

"She loves me!" he threw his fins up and ran out the room. "She loves me, she loves me…" he chanted as he ran throughout the house.

Gumball smiled to himself and took one snacks to his mouth, but made a disgusted face and spat it out right away.

"Geez, these are disgusting!" he almost shouted. "That's the last time I take food from dad's stash!"


	6. Thursday - Part I

Darwin was as happy as can be. Not only was the prettiest girl in school is girlfriend, but she had kissed him and told him she loved him. He could still feel her lips on his, the intoxicating sensation like none he had ever experienced in the other times he had kissed or been kissed. He felt like nothing could bring him down; he was fully content with life.

The following morning he was walking… no, more like dancing, down the hallway towards his classroom, when he saw her. She was sitting on her rock with a laminated book in her hands, staring into the distance as if she was waiting for someone. His grin widened to an almost painful level and he quickened his pace, eager to talk to her. She noticed this, and a small smile formed itself on her lips as she turned and pulled herself up to the rim of her bowl to be able to talk to him.

"Hi, sweetums…" she greeted him in a somewhat seductive tone, resting her head on her hand and gazing at him with love-filled half-lidded eyes, making him blush and giggle giddily. She couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You're so adorable."

"Aw, chucks…" he humbly folded his fins behind his back and looked down at floor.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, my parents said you can come over after school!"

"Wow, really?"

"Yup! You'll be teleporting home with me today." She stretched down and planted a kiss on his lips, taking him by surprise. Before pulling herself back, she leaned close to his auditory receptor. "Meet me at the door when school's over." she whispered.

Darwin just chuckled as he wobbled back and forth, completely love-struck. She smiled at how cute he looked, when she felt the ground shake and her water ripple. Looking behind her she saw Hector walking in her direction, stomping his huge feet with every step.

"Hey, Hector!" she called the giant, who looked down at her. "Would you be a dear and push me inside the classroom?"

"Sure!" he replied, and proceeded to kneel down and carefully slide her into the room. After getting back up to his feet he walked away, leaving Darwin alone still wobbling. Just then Gumball turned the corner and saw his brother in his peculiar state of partial trance.

"There you are!" the blue feline exclaimed as he approached his aquatic companion. "You left me talking to myself at the door! But then again, you weren't really paying that much attention…" he noticed the goofy grin plastered across his face and the fact that he almost looked like he was riding an invisible swing. "Dude, are you OK?"

"Meet her… door… school's over…" he mumbled as he finally hobbled into the classroom, Gumball still in the hallway with a confused look in his face. After a few seconds he just shrugged and entered as well.

* * *

The end of the day couldn't have come fast enough. As soon as the bell rang Darwin dashed out of the classroom, through the hallways and out the door. Crystal was already there waiting for him, for she had left class a bit earlier than the others to go to the bathroom. He was barely able to brake and almost crashed into her, but was able to stop just a few inches from her bowl.

"H… hi…" he exhaled as he caught his breath.

"Ready?" she asked. "My dad just told me he's gonna teleport us right away.

"Yeah… sure." he was finally able to recompose himself.

"Jump in, then."

He nodded and climbed the large glass container. He dived into the water just as the bowl started to glow like it had done the day before.

"Hold on." she advised him, to which he complied by hugging her as tight as he could and closing his eyes out of fear. She was bit surprised by his embrace, but just smiled as they both disappeared from the entrance of Elmore Junior High.

Darwin didn't want to open his eyes. He knew he was being silly and acting like a coward in front of his girlfriend was a sure-fire way to drive her away, but he was too afraid to look. He didn't know what would happen if he opened his eyes while they were being teleported, or what he would see for that matter. He hated to imagine what would appear before him.

"You can open your eyes, now." he heard her voice soothe him.

He very slowly opened one of his eyes, and what he saw made both open wide in astonishment: they were at the bottom of the pond, and it was more beautiful than he could've ever imagined. The water surrounding them was of a transparent greenish-blue tone, and there were rocks arranged in decorative ways, such as to resemble statues and Greek columns, among other things. There was florae and fauna everywhere, giving life to the otherwise lifeless body of standing water. It was completely and utterly indescribable.

Looking down, Darwin saw the bowl had descended down to the earthy ground that was the 'floor'. They were both swimming in the fresh water, and it felt surprisingly pleasant.

"It's amazing…" he whispered in awe.

"Hi, sweetie!"

The two youngsters turned around to face three mermaids: one was a man with honey-colored eyes and long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, yet he seemed to be balding on the top of his head. He had a soul patch and his tail fin was of a darkish red tone. The other was a woman with light-blue eyes and extremely long wavy golden hair which descended almost to the end of her tail fin, which was teal, and whore what seemed to be a silver bikini top which covered her fairly grown chest area. Lastly there was little boy, who seemed to be only a couple of years younger than Crystal. He had dirty-blond hair in a bowl cut, brown eyes and a green tail fin.

Crystal swam towards the long-haired man and hugged him.

"Hi, daddy!" she greeted him, giving him a peck on the cheek. She then swam to the woman and did the same, and teasingly tousled the boy's hair, much to his displeasure. She then swam back up to Darwin, placing an arm around him. "Everybody, this is Darwin. Darwin, these are my parents, Jonah and Meredith, and my little brother Newton." she said as she gestured towards each member of her family.

"Hello Darwin, it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" Crystal's dad took his fin and shook it. "Crystal won't stop talking about you!"

"I-I… thank you, Mr. Tsunamington…" he stuttered, blushing s bit.

"Please, call me Jonah. And we should be the ones thanking you!"

"That's right! If you hadn't walked by when you did, who knows where our little girl would be right now." Crystal's mom added. She had an appealing tone, smooth and pleasing to the ear.

"Dead somewhere, most likely." said her brother with a devious smile.

"Newton!" exclaimed Meredith, making him laugh under his breath.

"Anyway… Darwin, I would just like to say that I would be honored to have you as my son-in-law." said Jonah as he patted Darwin in the back. Both him and Crystal blushed as hard as they could.

"Dad, I'm twelve!" Crystal wined as she covered her face in embarrassment. Darwin was about to say something, but just then a large glass cage fell through the water and landed on Crystal's dad, entrapping him. "Dad!"

"Honey, are you OK?" Crystal's mom worriedly asked as she swam to him and tried to lift the cage off of him.

"Yeah, but it's too heavy to lift and…" he closed his eyes and flexed his arms against his chest. "…I can't seem to use my teleporting powers." Meredith gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

"Acrylic glass…" she whispered almost inaudibly right before an equal cage fell on her and another one on Newton.

As they struggled to release themselves, Darwin hugged Crystal in fear, who was petrified as she watched her family fight for their freedom.

"Crystal, what's happening?!" Darwin asked in panic, and noticed some shadows on the other side of the water.

"Nice going, we got three of them! Now we just need the girl." they heard a voice say, a voice which made Crystal's pupils constrict to the size of almost microscopic dots in sheer terror.

"They're back…"


	7. Thursday - Part II

"Come on, find her! We gotta take them all together, or we won't get paid!"

As the they continued to look around the pond while the one who seemed to be their leader barked orders at them, the one they were looking for was hiding with her beloved, quivering in pure fear in a nearby cave dug onto the side of one of the pond's 'walls'. Darwin watched as the shadows danced on the surface of the water, trying to figure out his next step.

"What are we gonna do?" he thought out loud. "We have to save them! We have to – " he was interrupted by the sound of Crystal's sobs, which increased in volume as she desperately cried into her hands. He placed a fin on her arm, hoping that would comfort her. "Crystal?"

"Oh Darwin… there's nothing we can do!" she sobbed as she uncovered her face to face Darwin, which would have been washed in tears if they weren't under water. "I've dealt with them before, and my parents' powers were the only thing that saved us every time! Plus there's three of them, and only two of us…"

Darwin thought for a second, rubbing his chin as his brain worked in search for a solution, when an almost brilliant thought came to him.

"Then we need to even the odds." he declared as she smashed a fist into his fin.

"What do you mean?" Crystal asked as she rubbed her eye.

"Crystal, can you contact normal people with your telepathy?"

"I've never tried, so I don't know…"

"You have to try!" he almost screamed as he grabbed her by her arms. "Contact Gumball and tell him to come help us!"

"OK, I'll try…"

She closed her eyes shut and pressed her fingers against her temples, making circles around them. Making the biggest effort she had ever done in her life, she tried to channel her brain waves and connect them with Gumball's.

Meanwhile at the Watterson abode, Gumball was fast asleep in the living room couch. He had dozed off from watching some boring TV show, and was now dreaming that he was at the beach with Penny. The sun was setting and dolphins were playfully doing backflips in the background, as Gumball Tristopher Watterson held the hands of his beloved Penny Fitzgerald and stared lovingly into her eyes.

"You have no idea how long I have waited for a moment like this…" he said as he leaned closer to the young peanut.

"I feel the exact same way." Penny replied, also leaning a bit closer.

"Penny… there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a really long time…"

"Yes, Gumball?"

The young blue cat took a deep breath and tightened his grip on her hands, seeing the blush on her cheeks intensify and feeling his heart beating uncontrollably against his chest.

"Penny…" he leaned even closer, now only an inch or two from her face. "…will you be my – "

"Gumball!"

He let out a terrified shriek as he jumped away from Penny and released her hands. They both turned to the water, surprised to see none other than Crystal looking at them.

"Crystal? What are you doing in my dream?" he asked as he recovered from the scare.

"That doesn't matter right now." she promptly replied. "You need to come to the far end of the park! Darwin and I are in serious trouble!"

"What?! What kind of trouble?" he asked as he quickly stood up.

"There's no time to explain! Just go! NOW!"

She jumped back into the water and disappeared. Gumball put on a frown and nodded to himself, turning back and kneeling down as he reached for Penny's hands again.

"I have to go, but we shall finish this some other day." he whispered valiantly to her.

"I doubt it. Studies have shown that people can't have the same dream two nights in a row." said Penny with a neutral look on her face.

"Wow… my subconscious is a genius!" he commented, surprised. His dream faded as he woke up and quickly ran out of the house.

Back at the pond, Crystal had returned to reality and Darwin had to hold her so she wouldn't fall, for she had gotten dizzy from both the effort and the experience.

"I… I did it." she smiled faintly. Darwin smiled back at her.

"Good." he pet her cheek. "Now we just – "

"Gotcha!"

Suddenly they were both grabbed by a large pair of hands, which tightened their grip on their tiny bodies as they squirmed and tried to escape. Looking up they saw a shark with the biggest and pointiest teeth they had ever seen in their young lives. He was grinning at them, admiring his prizes as the color fled from them in horror. He rapidly swam up to the surface and carried them to dry land, where his other two friends were waiting for him with the rest of the Tsunamington family locked tight in their acrylic glass prisons. One of the guys was a rusty fish hook with an eye on each side of the bend and a mouth a few inches under them, the barb being his nose. He had arms and legs made from the same material as his body, also rusted, and wore a black leather jack with a pair of old torn-up jeans. The other was a falcon wearing nothing but a white wife beater.

The shark violently and carelessly tossed them onto the ground, and at that moment the two youngsters saw he was wearing a pair of overalls over a red and black plaid shirt. But that wasn't all. What mostly caught their attention was the fact that he had a pair of robotic legs built into each side of his body, right below his pelvic fins.

"Nice work, Greg." the hook said as he approached the two. His voice had nasal tone to it, and seemed to crack every now and then. He observed the children with a smile, obviously proud of himself. "Now we can cash in."

"Please don't hurt her!" Jonah plead as he banged his fists against the thick acrylic wall. "I have connections! I'm a columnist for The Aquarian! I can get you whatever you want!"

"Shut it!" he shouted back at the male mermaid. Kneeling down he lifted Crystal's chin to examine her closer with an evil grin. "Thought you could elude us, huh? Well, your parents can't save you now." he inched closer but had his hand slapped away by Darwin.

"Don't you so much as put a finger on her!" he threatened him, placing himself in front of Crystal in a protective way. Contrarily to what he expected, the hook's grin just widened even more as he eyed the young fish, sending shivers down his spine.

"Well here's something you don't see every day!" he examined Darwin from head to toe. "A fish with legs!"

"That's not true, Tony. What about Greg, over there?" the falcon commented in a thick Cockney accent as he pointed at the shark.

"Russell, you know perfectly well that these are prosthetics that were attached to my body when I was just a baby so I could learn how to live on land!" the shark roared back, his voice deep and menacing.

"Exactly." the hook stated as his gaze fell back upon Darwin. "Do you know how much money you're worth? You're even more rare and valuable than the mermaids! Just imagine how much money we'll get after we sell all five of you…"

Darwin took a step back, fearful for what the sharp living object would do to him. Just as he was about to reach the scared fish, Crystal somehow launched herself on his direction and slapped him across the 'face' with her tail fin, making him wobble back a few steps.

"Darwin, run!" she shouted as the hook started to regain his balance. Darwin ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction, dodging the falcon by an inch.

"After him, Russell! Don't let him get away!" Tony ordered the bird, who ran off to catch him. Looking down at Crystal, he grabbed her by the arms and brought her up to his face to see the fear in her eyes. "That will be the last time you do something like that to me, you little TRAMP!"

That was the last straw. Crystal finally felt her fear disappear to be replaced by pure anger. She was sick and tired of being manhandled by those creeps. They had been pestering her and her family for far too long. What had they done to deserve it? And what right did they have to treat them like that? She could feel her blood boiling inside of her, her whole body shaking like a volcano about to erupt. Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth and prepare for what would be her first furious outburst.

"Get your grubby hands… OFF ME!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as she opened her eyes, her pupils nowhere to be seen and the white glowing in the scariest way possible. Greg and Tony didn't know what was going on, until they heard water running behind them. When they turned around they saw a giant wave was lifting itself from the pond and heading in their direction, and all had time to do was scream.

A little further ahead Darwin was still running for his life as Russell pursued him not to far away. Eventually he reached the park gates, which were closed. Without any other way out, he turned to face the panting falcon who was now approaching slowly. Trembling and sweating heavily, he braced himself for what was coming.

_And that's my story. In retrospect, I guess I could've made some better decisions along the way. For example, if I hadn't gotten mad at Gumball to begin with, maybe I wouldn't be in this mess. Also –_

"Shut up, voice in my head! Now is not the time!" Darwin shouted angrily at his mind.

Looking back at his pursuer, he saw that he was about to pounce at him, and defensively cover his eyes with his fins and screamed in terror. Russell positioned himself to attack the defenseless fish, when he was washed away by a giant wave which missed Darwin by only a few inches. The water dragged both Russell and Greg over the concrete walls and landed them on a nearby police car. The donut cop, who was just coming out of a store with a fresh cup of coffee, noticed the two goons on the hood of his car and walked up to them.

"Well, if it isn't Greg Bullworth and Russell Dickinson." he said as he took out two sets of handcuffs. "I've been looking for you two scumbags for a quite a while. You're wanted for poaching in four states. What do you say he head down to the station for a little chat?" the two felons groaned in pain as the cop cuffed them.

Back at the park, Darwin slowly uncovered his eyes when he realized nothing was happening, and his sight fell upon Crystal, who was lying face-down on the grass and coughing.

"Crystal?" he looked left and right and was surprised to not see anyone who might look threatening. "What happened?"

"Let's just say I found out that I'm the one who got the tidal wave powers, and not my brother." she replied in a hoarse tone, letting out a weak laugh and starting to choke right away.

"Oh no, you've been out of the water for too long!" he rushed towards her, kneeling down by her side. "Let me just – "

"Come here!"

He was grabbed by Tony, who had somehow escaped Crystal's wave and was now soaking wet. Turning to face him, Darwin saw he was now angrier than ever. He was breathing heavily in fury and glaring daggers in his direction.

"Please, you need to let me get her into the water or she'll die!" Darwin pleaded as he squirmed to free himself.

"I don't care!" he growled at him. "I am sick of you aquatic creatures! I hope you all perish from the face of the Ear – "

A loud metallic bang was heard and Tony's expression turned from angry to something Darwin couldn't identify. He dropped him and he himself dropped to the side unconscious to reveal Gumball standing right behind him, holding a large metallic pipe above his head.

"Gumball!" Darwin shouted and ran into his brother's arms for a hug. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"Well, I just had the feeling my little bro was in need of help. So I ran here, grabbed this pipe from the dumpster to defend myself and leaped into action." he boasted as he released Darwin from his embrace. Darwin placed his fins on his hips, unimpressed.

"Nice try, but I was the one who told Crystal to – OH NO, CRYSTAL!"

He ran back to the mermaid and turned her onto her back. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was a tad open, but she was motionless and not a breath could be heard coming from her.

"Crystal?" Darwin asked almost inaudibly as he stroked her cheek with his fin. He began to tear up and whimper when he realized the worst. "She's not breathing. I was too late!"

He broke down crying, holding her lifeless body against him as if hoping that would bring her back. Gumball started to tear up himself as he watched his brother sobbing desperately over the loss of his beloved. Unbeknownst to them, Darwin's abundant tears were pouring from his eyes directly onto the almost invisible gills on her neck.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Gumball walked up to Darwin and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, dude. There's nothing more we can do." he calmly told him as he helped him get up.

Darwin didn't want to leave her, but he knew he couldn't do anything else, so he just allowed his brother to slowly guide him away as he continued to weep for her. Just as they were about to leave, they heard deep loud breaths coming from behind them, and as they turned around they saw Crystal had awaken, yet was still struggling to breathe.

"CRYSTAL!" Darwin shouted in glee as he ran to hold her in a tight hug, now crying happily. "I thought had lost you! I'm so glad you're OK!"

"Wa… water…" she struggled to say as she gestured towards the pond. The two brothers understood that and quickly picked her up and took her to her home. She emerged not a second later, now fully invigorated but still trying to catch her breath. "Phew… thanks!"

"That was a really close call!" Gumball remarked. "Good thing we were here to save you."

"I know. I knew I could count on you. Once again you saved my life… Darwin."

Crystal and Darwin hugged each other tenderly, tighter than ever. Darwin was still crying in happiness, and Crystal was starting to give in to her tears as well.

"Wha… but… I was here to, you know!" Gumball said in outrage, getting no response from the two. He just huffed and crossed his arms.

"Darwin?" Crystal asked in a whisper.

"Yeah?" Darwin whispered back.

"Did you remember to get my family out of their cages?"

Darwin's eyes shot open as he felt his heart sink as his smile dropped into a frown.


	8. Epilogue

"Look at that sunset. It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you."

Crystal smiled at Darwin's remark and nuzzled closer to him. They were both watching the sun set in the pond, the young mermaid resting her chin and her arms on top of the little fish's head. She loved the feeling of his scales against her skin, smooth but warm at the same time. It was a comfort she had never known before.

The events of the previous day only made her affections towards him grow bigger than ever imaginable. No one in their right mind would stand up to a trio of violent adults as he had done, let alone a ten-year-old like him. He had stood by her side through every step of adversity, only running away when she commanded him. Not only that, but he had saved her life once again. She had been born with a particularly sensitive set of gills which could tell apart any kind of water. She was a fresh water mermaid, but somehow she knew how other types of water felt, and the kind that she had breathed in after passing out from suffocation was none you could find in any ocean, sea, river or pond. It was salty, but not as much as salt water, and warmer than normal natural water. She did not know it then, but she knew it now: he had revived her with his tears.

Her love for him was now through the proverbial roof, and she had no doubt about it: he was the one.

"Crystal, honey!" she heard her dad calling her from a distance. "It's getting late. Time to come home."

Huffing with a pout, she allowed her body to limply slip off of Darwin's head. She had no will to leave, but she wasn't one to disobey her parents. Lowering herself to his level, she locked gazes with him, both of them with half-lidded eyes that transmitted love a mile away.

"I really wish I didn't have to go…" she declared, almost in a whisper. "I want to be with you."

"Me too, but you have to go home. Besides, we can be together again tomorrow." he replied, sending her heart aflutter as a small smile formed itself on her lips.

"I love you, Darwin."

"And I love you, Crystal."

Their arms embraced one another as their lips met in one of the most heartfelt kisses they had ever shared. It didn't last long due to the time at hand, but it felt better than they could've ever imagined. It was a kiss of true love.

As they parted and released their grasp on each other, Crystal let her hand trail through Darwin's cheek as she slowly swam away in the opposite direction, her gaze fixed on his the entire time. As she reached a certain point, she dived into her aquatic home and disappeared completely.

Darwin sighed, his heart feeling like it had been melted completely. He turned around and swam towards the side of the pond until he reached dry land. As he stood up on the firm ground he couldn't help but glance behind him one more time. The water was now bright orange due to the light of the setting sun, a color that much resembled his own. Aside for some ripples in the water caused by him, there was no other thing visible. Nonetheless, he smiled to himself.

As he turned and started walking towards the park's exit, he recalled all the things he had been trough that week. Some had been bad, but most were good. After all, he had found the girl of his dreams. And he couldn't be happier.


End file.
